Container and closure retainer therefor



March 24, 1936*. D. c. GRAIN 2,034,799

v CONTAINER AND CLOSURE RETAINER THEREFOR Filed Feb. 14, 1934' Patented Mar. 24, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 CONTAINER AND CLOSURE RETAINER THEREFOR 6 Claims.

This invention relates to containers of the type having an opening provided with a cap or closure, and more particularly to retainers for preventing loss of the closure when removed from the con- .5. tainer.

Various forms of closure retainers have been proposed for use with the small collapsible containers in which such materials as tooth paste, shaving cream, paint and the like are sold. Some i of the proposed constructions have been impractical from the standpoint of cost and others are open to the objection that the retainer interferes with the ready removal and replacement of the closure. Retainers which provide a relatively fixed sup-port for the closure are usually of such construction that free access to the container opening is obstructed, while the flexible chain type of retainer which permits the closure to be moved clear of the opening may be so bent or go loped as to make it difficult to apply or remove the closure.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container which includes a removable closure, usually of the threaded cap type, and a 25 simple and efiicient retainer for preventing loss of the closure. An object is to provide a container having a nozzle or opening that may be closed by a removable closure, and a retainer in which the closure is loosely mounted for such 30 movement as is necessary for the removal and replacement of the closure, the retainer being mounted on the container for pivotal movement about an axis which is not coincident with the axis of the nozzle, whereby the retainer may be turned to move the closure away from the nozzle after the closure is released.

A further object is to provide a container having a laterally offset nozzle or opening arranged at an angle, which may be and preferably is a 40 right angle, to the axis of the container, a closure for the nozzle, and a retainer mounted for pivotal movement about the axis ofthe container and having an extension in which the closure is loosely mounted; the arrangement of the 45 parts being such that the retainer may be turned to move the closure away from the nozzle or alternatively to position the closure in alinement with the nozzle.

A further object is to provide an attachment 50 which may be employed with a collapsible tube and threaded closure of the usual and familiar construction; the attachment including an elbow having one end for connection to the container in place of the usual closure and an outer 55 end for receiving the threaded closure, and a retainer which is pivotally mounted on the container by the elbow member, the retainer having an extension in which the closure may be mounted.

60 These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following" specification when taken with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container provided with a closure and closure retainer constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the same, with parts in section, the closure being released from but alined with the nozzle;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the container, an open. position of the closure being shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of another form. of closure retainer; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of an attachment for applying the invention. to collapsible tubes of the customary type.

In the drawing, the reference numeral l identifies a collapsible tube container provided with a threaded nozzle 2 which, in the customary tube 0 constructions, receives an internally threaded cap or closure. In accordance with the invention, a bent outlet tube or elbow 3 is threaded upon the nozzle 2 to form a spout having an outlet end 4 which is laterally offset from the container end of the outlet tube 3, the preferred construction being such that the axis of the outlet 4 is inclined to the axis of the container nozzle 2. One end 5 of a retainer strap is apertured to fit over the tube nozzle 2 and it is held in place on the tube by the spout or elbow 3. The other end of the retainer strap is bifurcated to form notched spring fingers 6, 6 in which the closure 1 is loosel mounted to permit rotation of the closure.

The length of the threaded lower end of the elbow 3 is such that the retainer strap is free to turn about the axis of the tube I when the closure is unscrewed from the threaded end 4 of the elbow. The closure may therefore be moved angularly to clear the elbow outlet, as shown in 40 dotted lines in Fig. 1, when the closure is unscrewed. The pivoted end 5 of the retainer has, however, a fairly snug fit between the top of the container and the lower face of the elbow 3. The advantage of a relatively firm pivotal mounting of the retainer strap on the container is that the closure 1 will be supported at the proper elevation to engage the threaded end when the strap is so turned as to bring the closure into horizontal alinement with the elbow outlet. This automatic vertical alinement of the closure is obtained since the retainer strap is relatively rigid so far as concerns any relative vertical displacement of the opposite ends 5 and 6 of the retainer. The retainer strap may be relatively flexible in other directions and, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the strap is formed of resilient or spring metal and the intermediate portion 8 is reversely bent to form a spring hinge to facilitate relative an- J30 gular movement of the opposite ends of the strap. Such flexing is necessary when the spring fingers 6 are seated in a groove 9 of the closure which is too short to allow substantial axial movement of the closure in the retainer strap. The normal or unstressed position of the spring retainer strap is preferably such that the closure will be spaced slightly from the end l of the outlet tube when the closure is unscrewed from the tube.

Except where impractical in the case of containers of comparatively small diameter, the lateral extension of the elbow 3 will preferably be made so short that no portion of the closure 1 projects beyond the outline of the container I,

see Fig. 3, and containers embodying the invention may therefore be packed in cartons of the same size as those used with collapsible tubes having the customary end caps.

It is not essential that the container be formed with the customary axial nozzle 2 as the elbow or bent spout 3 may be a part of the tube, as shown in Fig. 4. The retainer is accurately positioned and pivotally mounted on the lower portion of the elbow nozzle 3 in any suitable manner, for example by providing the elbow with a circumferentialgroove ID for receiving the spring fingers 5 of the retainer. The particular retainer shown in Fig. 4 is formed of Wire and includes a spring loop 6' for receiving the closure and an intermediate spring portion 8', but it will be apparent that the retainer for use with this integral spout type of container could be a metal strap similar to that shown in Fig. 1.

Another form of the invention, as illustrated in Fig. 5, comprises an elbow or bent spout l3 having its lower end l4 threaded for attachment to the usual container nozzle, the lower edge of the end It being cut back to provide a hub on which the end of the retainer strap I5 is pivotally mounted when the spout is secured to the container. The retainer strap differs from that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in that it is a substantially rigid angle strap, since the fingers iii of the retainer engage in a relatively long groove l9 that allows for the required longitudinal movement of the closure 1. Alternatively, this longitudinal movement may be taken up in the case of a rigid retainer by slotting the pivoted end l5 to permit the strap to slide on the hub M of the elbow l3.

It will be noted that the retainer preserves the same general shape or configuration whether the cap is threaded upon the container or is free. There is some slight change of shape in the case of the resilient retainers of Figs. 1 to 4, but this small variation is to be distinguished from the operation of flexible chain retainers and of U- shaped springs that tend to assume an angular form when the cap is freed from the container. For convenience of description, the retainers contemplated by this invention may be distinguished from the prior constructions by the statement that, whether of the relatively rigid or of the relatively flexible type, the retainer has a substantially permanent shape.

ing in an outlet end laterally offset from the container end of said tube, a closure for said outlet end, a closure retainer of substantially permanent shape and having one end in which said closure is loosely mounted, and means supporting the other end of said closure retainer for pivotal movement about the axis of the container end of said outlet tube, whereby said retainer may be turned to move said closure away from the outlet end of said tube after the closure is loosened therefrom.

2. A container having a bent outlet tube terminating in a threaded outlet end laterally offset from and inclined to the container end of said tube, a closure for said outlet end, and a retainer of substantially permanent shape having one end supported for pivotal movement in a plane substantially normal to the axis of the container end of said outlet tube, the other end of said retainer comprising means supporting said closure for rotation about substantially the axis of said outlet end when said retainer is positioned to aline said closure with said outlet end of said tube.

3. A collapsible container having an axially arranged nozzle, a bent spout secured to said nozzle and having an outlet end laterally offset therefrom, a closure for the outlet end of said spout, and a closure retainer having one end portion in which said closure is loosely mounted and a second end portion fitting over said container nozzle, whereby said closure retainer is pivotally mounted on said container nozzle, said bent spout overlying and normally retaining said second end portion of said closure retainer in place on said container nozzle.

4. The invention as claimed in claim 3, wherein the intermediate portion of said closure retainer is flexible to facilitate relative angular movement of the end portions of said closure retainer.

5. The invention as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first end portion of said closure retainer comprises a pair of clamping fingers, and said closure has a circumferential groove in which said fingers are seated, the groove having a length equal to the longitudinal movement of the closure during attachment to or removal from said bent spout.

6. A closure retainer attachment for use with a collapsible tube of the type having a threaded nozzle and a closure therefor, said attachment comprising an elbow spout having one end threaded for connection to the nozzle of a tube and a threaded outlet end laterally offset from said first end, and a retainer of substantially permanent shape having one end apertured to fit over and pivotally mount said retainer on a tube nozzle, the other end of said retainer comprising means for loosely supporting a closure for the threaded outlet end of said elbow spout.

DARRELL c. GRAIN. 

